Slaying unicorns That's been the mantra this year. A fan came up with that and somebody posted it up and I re-tweeted it and all year long it went crazy. It turned into a whole movement

Tune of the year:

I really hate picking my own tunes, but the track I did with Jochen Miller, 'Rotunda'.

Breakthrough DJ/Producer of 2011:

Khomha.

What's the future of DJing:

More crossing over.

Favourite app:

I would say my American Airlines app, because I can check in and not even have to print out.

Discovery of the year:

A book that I just discovered, The Autobiography of a Yogi. It's a slow read, because it's broken English, but it's so cool to read it.

Rediscovery of the year:

Der Dritte Raum 'Hale Bopp'. This is a classic from the early days and during my long sets, I love to pull this out.

Awkward Moment:

The time I went to the airport and realized I didn't have a gig that night, it was the next night.

Style or substance:

Substance. Because with substance comes longevity. Styles change over the course of your career. With substance, you're constantly able to reinvent.

Pet Hate:

Airlines and Airport Security, because they're such a big part of my life. I think I know by now that I have to take my laptop out.

There's a whole greased-up machine behind the workings of a DJ like Markus Schulz, but thankfully it's not changed him one little bit.
“It's always an honour and I always say it's the fans' chance to voice their opinion with their votes, and any time the fans speak, I'm very happy and humbled,” he tells DJmag on news of his Top 100 entry.
The last time we had a chat with him, Markus spoke of life being hectic crazy. This time, it's much the same, with even more gigs in the summer and in some cases, two or three in the space of 24 hours. “I always tell these kids, be careful what you wish for, because when you get to this level, there are no other words for it, it's absolute chaos,” he beams.
Reflecting that the trance scene is in a constant state of re-invention, his stand-out gig at Nature One was even better than his appearance there last year.
“For a while, Germany was just techno, techno, and now it's really kind of evolved close to where it was back in the day.”
Ever the versatile DJ, Markus made a conscious decision this year to play longer sets, “…as the nights got later and later, I go more down the rabbit hole and play deeper and darker”. Like many DJs, he started out in a small club playing five or six-hour sets, “…then you blow up and start doing shorter sets, and as you get more established, you crave for those longer sets again.”
This year, the release of his Dakota album garnished the scene with something a little bit special.
“I was blown away by the response. It turned into a really big success, I guess it was timing and the kind of music that it is, it's deeper and more underground, so it was a pleasant surprise that it blew up the way it did.”
His Coldharbour Recordings imprint still has its simple rule of thumb. “The philosophy is to discover and nurture some young new artists, as well as to feed my record box,” he explains.
Ever the philosopher and one of the most interviewed DJs, when Markus is asked what question he would ask himself, his response is simple.
“I get a lot of questions about how I started, but maybe a question about the journey. One thing I always say is that when you're in this, you forget about the incredible journey you've had along the way.”
It's a journey that saw him start his 'Do You Dream?' album almost four years ago. Towards the end of this year, he'll be putting the finishing touches to his next artist album and putting the cogs in place for a forthcoming mega tour.